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Cher and her first husband, Sonny Bono, once formed the iconic entertainment duo Sonny & Cher but behind closed doors, things weren't so rosy for the pair.
Cher has been very open about Bono's controlling behavior toward her while they were married, including in Cher: The Memoir.
This week, the legendary musician sat down with Dax Shepard and Monica Padman to talk about her life, and of course, they spoke about Bono — including one particularly shocking incident.
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"We had a lot of fun, and he was special in a way, and then it became very treacherous," Cher said of their life together.
Shepard then said that Bono's controlling behavior was exposed once they were very famous. "This is when this kind of new side of Sonny comes out, which is like incredibly controlling," the host said. "You have this huge success. There's a lot of money. You're not allowed to leave the house. You're allowed to go shopping. That's pretty much all you're allowed to do, right?"
Cher confirmed that this was correct.
"And he's cutting you off from friendships you have," Shepard continued. "Was it happening slowly? Was it more like you woke up one day and were like, 'Oh, I don't have a life,' or while it was happening, were you like, 'What's going on?'"
Cher said, "It took a little while. I couldn't do anything."
In one instance, Cher had been playing tennis at a friend's house. "I'm leaving, but she's having a huge party," she recalled. "So there are people coming in. And so Dennis, my friend, told Sonny that I was there, but lots of people were there, and lots of men were there."
Cher continued, "And he burned my clothes. In the yard."
Cher further described the shift from a fun relationship with Bono to a toxic dynamic.
"I think it came on kind of slowly, because also it was around when we started the Sonny and Cher show. I was free on the show, and he was funny, and we got along," she said.
"It's such a strange dichotomy, because we would be laughing and we'd be having the best time, and then when we were at home, it was kind of more cut and dry.
Cher and Shepard also discussed the many girlfriends Bono had during his marriage to Cher, though the "Believe" singer said she only knew about one of them at the time.
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Cher and Bono were married between 1964 and 1975 and share son Chaz Bono, born in 1969. Cher went on to marry Gregg Allman, with that marriage lasting from 1975 to 1979.
The two shared son Elijah Blue Allman, born in 1976. Cher has been dating rapper Alexander "AE" Edwards for about four years, with Cher opening up about loving being around her boyfriend's son Slash.